[step-manufacturing] Minutes of September 23rd conference call

[Martin Hardwick]

Attendees
--------------
Martin Hardwick, STEP Tools, USA
David Loffredo, STEP Tools, USA
Bengt Olsson, Sandvik, Sweden
Mikael Hedlind, Scania, Sweden
Magnus Lundgren, KTH, Sweden
Alain Brail, AIrbus (retired), France
Christian Callet, Datakit, France
Andy Byrd, Okuma, USA
Zhigang Wang, Makino, USA
David Odendahl, Boeing, USA
Graham Hemingway, Vanderbilt, USA
Dan Finke, Penn State, USA
Allison Barnard-Feeney, NIST, USA
Bob Erickson, Pratt and Whitney, USA
Tom Raun, Iscar, USA

We reviewed the proposal to modularize AP238.
ftp://ftp.steptools.com/private/CAM_exchange/Cycle_6/MtG_II.pptx

The following are some reasons for modularizing AP238 version 2 and 
making it part of AP242.
1. The same procedure has already been followed for the other active 
Application Protocols (AP029 and AP210).
2. Having one Application Protocols for the whole of STEP will make it 
easier for non-experts to understand.
3. We need to make STEP-NC seamlessly extensible so that new 
functionality can be added for new types of processes.
4. Making STEP-NC an extension of STEP will allow the STEP-NC process 
model to be reused for additive manufacturing.
5. The new document will be much smaller because we will only have to 
create modules for functionality that is unique to STEP-NC.
6. The CAD/CAM vendors will be able to more easily implement their 
STEP-NC translators as extensions of their STEP translators.

The disadvantage is that the differences between CAD to CAM, and CAM to 
CNC, data exchange will become less clear when both are AP242.

We will demonstrate the advantages of the new modularity in a new Mind 
the Gap II project. We will implement an open source DLL for adaptive 
programming that uses the new modules to enable extensible 
functionality. In the first phase two adaptive programming applications 
will be implemented. The first will be an App to restart interrupted 
machining. The second will be an App to speed-up or slow down machining. 
The second will test the open functionality because some of the speed-up 
algorithm will be company proprietary, and some will depend on 
non-standard data that must come from the tool vendors.

The agenda for the Baltimore meeting is now finalized.
ftp://ftp.steptools.com/private/CAM_exchange/Cycle_6/Baltimore_meeting_agenda_details.pdf

We discussed progress on Mind the Gap I. The Vanderbilt JSON 
specifications will be published shortly. The Penn State contract is 
waiting signature. The GE development is going more slowly than 
anticipated because other projects are getting higher priority. STEP 
Tools is making progress on the tooling optimization and has completed 
the code necessary to determine the contact area between the tool and 
the part.
ftp://ftp.steptools.com/private/CAM_exchange/Cycle_6/Tooling.pptx 
(example is for an unusual case)

A recording of this conference calls is on the web site at the address 
below:
ftp://ftp.steptools.com/private/CAM_exchange/Cycle_6/stepmanuf_telecon_20150923.mp4

The next conference call is planned for Wednesday October 7th.

Martin Hardwick
Team Leader ISO STEP-Manufacturing